FEATURE: Everlast, Nine Lives

Everlast seemingly has nine lives. From his early days as a member of Ice-T’s Rhyme Syndicate, to jumping around with House of Pain, to strumming his guitar as Whitey Ford and now his latest venture with Boston rapper Slaine, Ill Bill of Non Phixion and his former group mates DJ Lethal and Danny Boy, collectively known as La Coka Nostra, this veteran continues to stay relevant in the rap game.

XXLMag.com recently caught up with Mr. White A.K.A. Erik Shrody to speak on the current Coka project, the direction of his next solo album and the difference between LCN and HOP.

XXLMag: How would you compare House of Pain to La Coka Nostra?

Everlast: House of Pain—I like to tell muthafuckas this, House of Pain was what Coka Nostra is. You know, it’s the same difference. It’s like, I would say with Coka Nostra is House of Pain [but] better. It just improved. You know what I mean? You know musically, I think it’s more fun. It’s more talent in the group, but it’s combinations of what everybody achieved in their lives. Non Phixion—I used to love Non Phixion. Slaine—he’s all about his game and we joke. You can put on any beat in the world and he can rap on it. He’s just that dude. He’s always—“I got a verse for that.” You know, he’s a beast with it. So, it’s been fun. It’s just been a good gig for me. The fact that all the House of Pain dudes happen to be in the group, just led to us being like, “Okay yeah, if somebody wanted to book us as House of Pain and it’s fun and it’s not inconvenient, and it’s not that corny you know, let’s go do it.”

XXL: Do you have any plans of doing a straight up a House Of Pain album or it’s all La Coka Nostra from now on?

Everlast: Not at this moment. I mean, I do a lot of things in my life on whims. You know, I mean the Coka is kind of one of those things. It’s just kind of—me and [Ill] Bill had known each other prior to meeting through Danny [Boy], but we didn’t know each other. We were like, “Hey, okay you’re Ill Bill, okay.” And with Slaine, the same thing. I mean, like I met him through Danny and I kind of just fell into—Slaine asked me to do a guest on one of his records and I busted a rhyme and then the next thing I know, we were making “Fuck Tony Montana” and other songs, and we were like, what are we gonna do with it? It kind of just came along. It wasn’t like this super plan, it was just like aight we’re making some music and Danny already had the Coka Nostra kind of theme thing going and it just all worked and that’s kind of how I run my life. Like what feels good, what’s fun, and what works.

XXL: You guys have some crazy fans on the internet showing pictures of their tattoos, and such—have you met any weird LCN fans? Any stories yet since you guys got on the road?

Everlast: Other than seeing some crazy tattoos, there ain’t been nothing too nutty, but I’m sure Bill and Slaine may have something cause they been going around doing the rounds for the last year so. The tattoos are weird enough for me. It’s like—you know I have plenty tattoos of bands, but they’re all my bands.

XXL: So no La Coka Nostra tattoos for you yet?

Everlast: Not yet. I haven’t done it yet. I mean, it’s not that I haven’t wanted to—again, I do a lot of things on whim, like okay I want a tattoo today, let’s get La Coka Nostra today.

XXL: Artwork plays a major role in the marketing of the group; the LCN images are everywhere. Who is in charge of creating and selecting the images you guys use to represent the group?

Everlast: Oh, hands down, Danny Boy gets all the credit for that. Like that’s his realm of dominance. He’s just that guy. He’s got a pop culture mind that when he starts referencing shit, and juxtaposing things against each other, it’s fun to watch. He does most of the designing with Slick for Dissizit! clothing, and he did the House of Pain stuff back in the day. He’s just always had a knack for it.

XXL: After Rock The Bells, what’s the next step for the group?

Everlast: Well I know we go back to Europe for a hot second, like do a few more hip-hop festivals out there, and then we come home and I’m not sure. I think Slaine—I’m not trying to blow anything up, but I think Slaine just got a really big part in a really big movie. You know, we may not be doing nothing for a month or so after coming back from Europe. We’re all sitting back rooting for Slaine, maybe for a month.

[Editor’s Note: Slaine, will not be performing with the group on their upcoming European tour dates. He was forced to bow due to a scheduling conflict as he is currently in Boston shooting the feature film The Town with director by Ben Affleck.]

XXL: Any plans for a solo album for you?

Everlast: Always. You know I’m working on a gang of stuff. I’m always recording and writing new songs—trying to write for some other artists, you know I scored Saving Grace and written a few themes now, like working on a couple things for TV. It’s a music game. You got to get in where you fit in.

XXL: Musically, are you trying to go more rock on the next record? Or are you going to try to do more hip-hop stuff?

Everlast: My next record is gonna be—I’m venturing to say—I don’t wanna put it in stone, but right now I’m leading towards semi kind of live acoustic turntable thing on the album. And to really strip down beats, acoustic guitar, maybe keyboards, and kind of go at it kind of raw.

XXL: What’s the influence behind that?

Everlast: A little bit of the Bruce Springsteen album, Nebraska, and just, you know, listening to cats. Like I go online all the time and I watch Beat Junkie Radio and just hearing breaks get cut and sometimes I’ll be strumming my guitar along while they’re djing. And I’ll just see, “Oh this works, and that works.” They’re the same. They’re one in the same. My eventual thing is like hopefully cats will really recognize that everything I’ve done that they considered outside of hip-hop, really was hip-hop at the end of the day and that maybe at the end of the day, I would love to be the guy that killed the word genre. –Jesse Gissen

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not 2 hate or nothing but i think yall coulda used a more relevant(not MAINSTREAM,but relevent…even some mainstream cats who are relevant to the commenters(us) relative tastes…

Grand Prixx

y did they move this from the blog section(did my comment have something 2 do wit it..prolly not just wishing lol)

http://myspace.com/federalranga Federal Ranga

Everybody make sure you hit up my link on myspace or youtube and become a part of the new movement to bring awareness to the gay community’s contribution in hip hop. I already have Mutada, Tony, and Persian signed up. We need your help to stop the discrimination in hip hop against our people.

I know alot of people hate on everlast…and i’m not saying it’s all uncalled for… But at the least you have to respect the man. Hate and say he isn’t hip hop all you want but the man is still here!

That aint the ranga up there either, but really i wanna know what the comission thinks of la coka.

No La Coka is nothing brand new or the saviors of hip hop BUT…..they are on some real shit. and yes i bought the c.d. i’ll leave you with this, La coka, at the very least, deserves some respect and at least one spin. (at the very least)

Technique

at least i don’t think it’s the ranga?

The Southern Comfort

I fucks with everlast in a big way, the solo stuff in particular. i could never understand how guys could accept cee-lo, outkast etc branching out but hate on everlast when they’ve never even given him a chance.

as for LCN, the cd was pretty good, some really good rapping and beats, some songs to skip and not all that diverse but with all the noise guys made about slaughterhouse i woulda thought they’d check for dudes trying a similar thing (not as good emcees i know).

http://MYSPACE HELTAH SIN SAY

THIS MAN EVERLAST WAS FAMOUS BEFORE ANY OF YOU PUNK ASS NIGGAZ WAS EVEN HIP HOP FANS, HE HAS LASTED LONGER THEN DICK ROSS, CAMILLIONARE, OR ANY OTHER STUPID ASS ARTIST THAT YOU THINK ARE HOT.. PLUS HES A GRAMMY NOMMINIE AND HES SOLD MORE THEN WHO EVER ELES YOU THINK IS RELAVENT..

OH AND P.S, ON THE WEST COAST L.A COKA NOSTRA HAS MORE WEIGHT THEN ANY BLACK DUDES THAT ARE NOT FROM THE WEST COAST AND THATS A FUCKEN PAIN FULL FACT…… COME TO THE WEST COAST TALKING SHIT ABOUT LA COKA..
SEE HOW MANY SOUTHSIDERS SHUT DOWN WHAT EVER GAY ASS CLICK YOU CLAIM…. REAL MOTHER FUCKEN TALK…

JUST LIKE DJ MUGGZ SAID ON THE BEEF VIDEO
“THE ESE’S RUN THE STREETS IN L.A”
AND CANT NONE OF YOU PUNKS DO SHIT ABOUT IT….

BIG UP TO THE WEST COAST CRIPS AND BLOODS THEY HOLD SHIT DOWN AND RUN SHIT ON THE WEST COAST AS WELL… ANY OF YOU GAY ASS SOUTH RAPPERS OR YOU NEW YORK NIGGAS KNOW DAMM WELL THAT THE CRIPS WILL TAKE YOUR SHIT AND MAKE YOU PAY HOMAGE ONCE YOU SET FOOT OFF THAT AIR PLAIN IN L.A.X….